18.06.2015 02:00

Stephen Hackett:

OS X El Capitan looks like a Snow Leopard moment for the Mac. There’s
good stuff in 10.11 — and I’ll be reviewing it again this year —
but for the average user, I’m not sure there’s a ton to get worked up
about. I don’t think that’s a problem, however. Some stability and
some breathing room will be welcomed by many.

12.06.2015 02:00

Marco:

John asked real questions on challenging subjects, including gender
diversity, my alleged software-quality decline, discoveryd problems,
thinness trade-offs with battery life, the new MacBook, continuing to
sell 16 GB iOS devices, and whether the Apple Watch should have
shipped without WatchKit 1.0 apps since the native SDK was so
imminent.

And Phil gave real answers to each one. Apple iterates, argues, and
evaluates trade-offs. Sometimes they don’t get it right. Sometimes
they’re more aggressive pushing the tech forward than power users like
us think they should be. Sometimes there are trade-offs in product
design that we don’t consider, or that we prioritize differently than
they do.

Phil made quick, smart, informed references to Apple-related podcasts
and sites, including mine, that made it clear that he personally reads
and listens to our community.

I’ve heard that this was the case for Phil and many other Apple
higher-ups for a long time, but I’m not sure it has ever been made so
clear publicly.

Apple is listening.

I agree, this might be the best podcast I have heard, and also the best
interview I have heard. John is a great interviewer, and Phil gave real
answers.

11.06.2015 02:00

Federico Viticci:

The iPad is on the cusp of becoming a completely new computer. This is
not an overstatement. Anyone who uses the iPad enough has known for a
long time that the device could be capable of a lot more, and iOS 9 is
Apple’s answer.

11.06.2015 02:00

11.06.2015 02:00

This is somewhat similar to how Android allows users to sideload apps
from unknown sources, although its a bit more complicated as
sideloading requires a physical connection and a Mac running Xcode to
build the apps. As it’s not really meant for this purpose (its main
purpose is for developers to test their own software on real
hardware), more technical knowledge is needed to actually sideload
something than with the Android flow.

09.06.2015 02:00

09.06.2015 02:00

Apple is going to realize very soon that it has made a grave mistake
by positioning itself as a bastion of privacy against Google, the evil
invader of everyone’s secrets. The truth is that collecting
information about people allows you to make significantly better
products, and the more information you collect, the better products
you can build. Apple can barely sync iMessage across devices because
it uses an encryption system that prevents it from being able to read
the actual messages. Google knows where I am right now, where I need
to be for my meeting in an hour, what the traffic is like, and whether
I usually take public transportation, a taxi, or drive myself. Using
that information, it can tell me exactly when to leave. This isn’t
science fiction; it’s actually happening. And Apple’s hardline stance
on privacy is going to leave it in Google’s dust.

Most people don’t care, and they don’t get it. But some people do,
including me. And I like to know what I give up, and to make an informed
choice. Privacy doesn’t always win, but I like to minimize how much data
companies like Facebook and Google have on me.